Thursday, September 9, 2010

Chemical Peels At Home Part 3 : Salicylic Acid Peel

There has been a lot of chemistry mumbo-jumbo around the blog these days.Blame it on my obsession with research and the fact that I was horrible at the subject.Since this is the third and final part of the Chemical Peels At Home Series, hopefully the trend will stop (that is until my next obsession).

So moving onto the chemical world, in Part 1 we discussed the basic theory behind a chemical peel and how we can dupe these at home using simple every day kitchen ingredients.In Part 2 we dealt specifically with Glycolic Peels which come under the category of Alpha Hydroxy Acids.In the third part we will concentrate on Beta Hydroxy Acids and the most common of it's family the Salicylic Acid.

Salicylic Acid is naturally derived from the willow bark and is also synthetically produced.It is similar to the AHA in that it is also an excellent exfoliant and helps to destroy the glue holding the dead skin together.but it has the added advantage of also helping control acne and oil production.In fact salicylic acid is a common ingredient in over the counter acne and oil control medication.Also the AHA's work only on the surface whereas BHA's can penetrate deeper and are milder at the same time.This has led to the preference of BHA over AHA these days in chemical peel treatments.So salicylic acid not only helps in exfoliation but sebum and acne control too.

Now getting hold of salicylic acid in the kitchen might not seem easy to you, but you can easily find it in your medicine cabinet in the form of Aspirin (or Disprin in India).

Aspirin Salicylic Acid Peel

1 tbsp baking soda

8 aspirin tablets

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp aloe-vera gel or 1 tbsp honey

2 cups tap water

Place the aspirin in a bowl and add lemon juice to it.When the tablets start disintegrating add the aloe/honey and mix together to form a smooth paste.

Wash face and hands and apply a thin and even layer of the paste all over your face.Avoid the area around the eyes and lips.You can also apply the paste only to problem areas.Let the paste dry for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile in a bowl mix the baking soda with water.Dip cotton balls in this mixture and wipe off face with it after it has dried.The baking soda will neutralize the acid.

That brings an end to this series.A lot of readers were skeptical about these chemical peels.But trust me this is much milder than something your dermatologist would do.And as with any other thing this also has a set of precautions which should be adhered to.